Kahala Mall officials are hoping to save $300 to $500 a week on graffiti cleanup now that police have arrested a 19-year-old Honolulu man who may be a repeat offender.

After the suspect was arrested Friday, police said they had seen the graffiti tag found at the mall more than once before.

The suspect was charged with a petty misdemeanor, which can bring up to 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. He also was charged with second-degree reckless endangerment after nearly running over a security guard while trying to flee the scene. That misdemeanor can bring a one-year jail sentence and a $2,000 fine.

Friday's arrest was the third for graffiti at the Kahala Mall this year and 113th on the island, police said yesterday.

Melvin De Costa, mall security director, said he's fed up with graffiti vandals.

"We're sick and tired of having this graffiti," he said. "We're not going to tolerate it, and we're going to do whatever we can in conjunction with the private sector, law enforcement and everyone else to alleviate this problem ... because it's just ridiculous."

De Costa said mall workers try to remove the graffiti within an hour of it going up. The urgency, he said, is to dissuade future tagging.

Graffiti on O'ahu appear to be on the rise. So far this year, there have been 639 reported graffiti cases, police said. In 2005, there were 1,111 documented cases and 227 arrests.

"We have an epidemic," De Costa said.

Arresting the vandals can be dangerous, too.

Video footage obtained by mall security showed the suspect leaning over the wall where graffiti was found. When approached by security officers, he is seen entering a black two-door sedan and escaping from the parking garage, nearly hitting two security officers. Less than one block away, the suspect was involved in a single-car accident where police apprehended him.

"The fact of the matter is he could have hurt somebody else," said Frank Fujii of the Honolulu Police Department. "It's not a fun thing for people's property that is damaged. I think the message is coming out more and more and stronger and stronger."

Reach Robert Shikina at rshikina@honoluluadvertiser.com.